Police help young people to think twice

Police help young people to think twice

Nottinghamshire Police paid a visit to West Nottinghamshire College’s construction campus in Kirkby-in-Ashfield this week, to kick-start an awareness-raising campaign.

On Tuesday (15 May) Sergeant Carl Holland and PCSO Sarah Keightley met with students on plumbing and joinery programmes for the first in a series of workshops at the college which will give students vital information on anti-social behaviour and the law.

Sergeant Holland began the session highlighting alcohol use and misuse and the effects that alcohol can have on general behaviour. He emphasised how the loss of inhibition and impaired judgement as well as slower reactions can often cause individuals under the influence to get into trouble.

He highlighted the kinds of repercussions that people can face if involved in drink-related assault. He detailed the types of assault and the penalties, including common assault, actual bodily harm (ABH), grievous bodily harm (GBH), all the way up to murder.

Both Sergeant Holland and PCSO Keightley spoke to students about drug-related crimes, as well as the issues around cyber-crime and the sending of offensive images via mobile phones and how phones can be seized and used in solving crime cases.

Shannon Vincent, 20, who is studying joinery Level 3 said: “Today’s session really reminded me of a person close to me who died as a result of alcohol misuse. They fell and hit their head and died due to impaired judgement.

“I’ve seen the effects of alcohol dependency and how it can cause so many problems, and having lost someone as a result of this, it’s made me become a person who doesn’t drink.”

Sergeant Holland said: “I am looking forward to speaking more at these sessions. I want to raise the general awareness that just one stupid moment, whether drunk, high or just angered – can kill someone. One single punch to an individual can kill.

“If I can get into just one person’s mind through these awareness-raising sessions to make them think “I won’t have that one last drink, or I am going to walk away from this situation” then I will be happy to have influenced their decision.”